A Global Supply Chain is a big, unwieldy behemoth - a Frankenstein’s monster that can die if one of the pieces fails to work. The slightest knock can have massive ramifications down the line. A man falling over in Nepal can mean a two week delay in someone’s porch light being delivered in Shanghai.
For supply chain leaders who aren’t busy trick or treating with their children this Halloween - or trick or treating by themselves, I’m not judging anybody for what they do in their free time - it might be tempting to put on a horror film. Most won’t bother though. There’s plenty to be scared of in the supply chain.
1. Integrating technology
History is littered with companies that failed to integrate technology systems. It took Adidas years to recover from its infamous attempts to port integrated Software Logistics Engineering’s system to fault tolerant Stratus computers
2. Currency fluctuations
The dollar has dropped against the pound. Tough enough for people going on holiday, a potential horror show for supply chains.
3. Act of God
Over 6.6 million homes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of hurricane storm surge inundation, and the potential ramifications for ports, DCs, and warehousing can mean huge disruption to a supply chain.
4. Lost container
Bad things can happen to good cargo. In fact, 52 containers are lost at sea each week.
5. Killer robots
IoT has just made Gartner’s Hype Cycle, and supply chain leaders would be foolish not to look at it. But what if they rise up and start attacking people? Stephen Hawking thinks it could happen, do you think you know better than him?
